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Chemical Weapons Convention |
| Chemical Weapons Convention | |
|---|---|
| Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction | |
| Drafted | September 3, 1992 |
| Signed - location |
January 13, 1993 Paris |
| Effective - condition |
April 29, 1997 Ratification by 50 states and the convening of a Preparatory Commission |
| Signatories | 165 |
| Parties | 184 (as of July 2008) Complete List |
| Depositary | UN Secretary-General |
| Languages | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish |
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
The current agreement is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an independent organization and often mistaken as being a department within the United Nations.
Contents |
Signed in 1993 and entered into force on April 29, 1997 the convention augments the Geneva Protocol of 1925 for chemical weapons and includes extensive verification measures such as on-site inspections. It does not, however, cover biological weapons. The convention is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which conducts inspection of military and industrial plants in all of the member nations as well as working with stockpile countries.
The convention distinguishes three classes of controlled substance[1], chemicals which can either be used as weapons themselves or used in the manufacture of weapons. The classification is based on the quantities of the substance produced commercially for legitimate purposes. Each class is split into Part A, which are chemicals that can be used directly as weapons, and Part B which are chemicals useful in the manufacture of chemical weapons.
The treaty also deals with carbon compounds called in the treaty Discrete organic chemicals.[2] These are any carbon compounds apart from long chain polymers, oxides, sulfides and metal carbonates, such as organophosphates. The OPCW must be informed of, and can inspect, any plant producing (or expecting to produce) more than 200 tonnes per year, or 30 tonnes if the chemical contains phosphorus, sulfur or fluorine, unless the plant solely produces explosives or hydrocarbons.
Almost all countries in the world have joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. As of 19 June 2008, 184 of the 195 states recognized by the United Nations are party to the CWC. Of the 11 states that have not, four have signed but not yet ratified the treaty: (Bahamas, Burma, Dominican Republic, and Israel)- while seven states have not signed the treaty: Angola, North Korea, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and Syria.
As of 2007, there were six member countries which had declared stockpiles:
Iraq has not signed the treaty. Iraq's chemical weapons were destroyed under a United Nations reduction program after the 1991 Gulf War. Approximately five hundred degraded chemical munitions have been found in Iraq since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a report of the US National Ground Intelligence Center.[4] These weapons contained sarin and mustard agents but were so badly corroded that they could not have been used as originally intended.[5]
Twelve countries declared chemical weapons production facilities:
By 2007, all 65 declared facilities had been deactivated and 94% (61) have been certified as destroyed or converted to civilian use.[6] As of the end of February 2008, 42 facilities were destroyed while 19 were converted for civilian purposes.[7]
The total world declared stockpile of chemical weapons was about 43,760 tons in early 2008. A total of 71,315 tonnes have been declared to OPCW of which about 27,555 tonnes (over 38%) had been destroyed by March 31, 2008. More than 34% of the 8.67 million declared chemical munitions and containers have been destroyed.[8] (Treaty confirmed destruction totals often lag behind state-declared totals.) Several countries that are not members are suspected of having chemical weapons, especially Syria and North Korea, while some member states (including Sudan and the People's Republic of China) have been accused by others of failing to disclose their stockpiles.
The treaty set up several steps with deadlines toward complete destruction of chemical weapons.
| Phase | % Reduction | Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1% | April 2000 | |
| II | 20% | April 2002 | Complete destruction of empty munitions, precursor chemicals, filling equipment and weapons systems |
| III | 45% | April 2004 | |
| IV | 100% | April 2007 | No extensions permitted past April 2012 |
By July 2007, 33% of known chemical weapons stockpiles had been destroyed worldwide, falling far short of the 100% goal set for in 2007.[9] Furthermore, by April 2008, only 50% of countries had passed the required legislation to outlaw participation in chemical weapons production[10]. By December 31, 2007, 36.5% of Class 1, 52% of Class 2 and all Class 3 declared chemicals had been destroyed.[11]
Financial support for the Albanian and Libyan stockpile destruction programmes was provided by the United States. Russia received support from a number of nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Canada; some $2 billion given by 2004. Costs for Albania's program were approximately 48 million U.S. dollars. The U.S. had spent $20 billion and expected to spend a further $40 billion.[9]
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